“Without changes by the UK Govenrment, only a one-sided deal is possible” Editor’s Note: On Friday morning, after months of protracted discussions, the UK and the European Union finally reached a first-stage agreement in the talks over Britain’s departure from the EU. The deal, threatened a few days earlier in a dispute over border arrangements

Several media outlets in the United States have run headlines in the last two days linking the outbreak of wildfires in Southern California to climate change. In yesterday’s Los Angeles Times the headline read, “Why is Southern California burning in December?” The Santa Ana winds which annually appear in the late fall and early winter are described

Whether China liberalises politically, as the original ‘Asian Tigers’ did, or maintains its authoritarian approach is an issue with theoretical and practical implications that resonate well beyond China’s own immediate development challenges A controversial issue in the longstanding debate on the developmental state concerns the relationship and the possible compatibility of rapid economic and industrial

In past postings on flood risk from rising sea levels and extreme weather events, I have largely focused on residential and urban exposure to large-scale damage. I’ve also talked about the financial exposure of reinsurers and insurance companies in light of policy coverage in flood-risk zones. Today I want to summarize a report prepared by Morgan

Steve Bannon’s departure as White House chief strategist was seen coming a mile away, but it is still sending shock waves of speculation over potential policy shifts by US President Donald Trump’s administration. The move re-energized the ongoing debate on whether President Donald Trump is going to end up impeached, with observers on both sides arming themselves

Antony Ou in response to Dr Jean-Paul Gagnon’s article ‘The End of War?’ in Political Reflection, 2 (4): 30-33. In Volume 2 Issue 4 of Political Reflection, Dr Jean-Paul Gagnon wrote a mindprovoking feature article on whether there will be the end of war in the near future. Therein he contended that cosmopolitanism is a

Japan can expect a shortage of 8,500 MW this summer (2012). Japan’s electricity consumption was estimated in 2011 as being 859.7 billion kWh. As a resource poor country, however, Japan needs to import 84% of its energy requirements. In 2010, Japan generated 1,080 billion kWh gross, 27% from coal, 27% from gas, 27% from nuclear,

In the broadest sense, the Idea of Progress is a belief that technological, scientific, socio-political advancement will eventually improve the quality of life, happiness, and well-being of one’s society. In the West, it is a concept which can be traced back to ancient Greece, ancient Rome and Early Christian times. It is an overwhelming and

This year marks the fifteenth year since the first publication of John Dryzek’s Politics of the Earth (Oxford University Press, 1997; third edition forthcoming). Much has changed since then but much has also remained the same. Much, for example, has changed as far as the study of environmental politics is concerned. Dryzek’s work was pioneering

The need for protecting natural environments was realized by human beings in the earliest phases of human history as is evident from certain ancient texts. In India, for example, the voice for protecting environments was heard in the hermitage of the old saints who lived in forests. But the fact remains that it was industrial

Does environmentalism strengthen or weaken democracy? This question is worth pondering for two reasons. First, in contemporary democracies, the environment has always been a salient issue on the political agenda. Second, in a democratic process, people are supposed to remain free to prioritise values other than the environment. Think about cases in which people support

By implementing the “Open Door Policy” since 1978, China has achieved tremendous economic growth and development. China has seen the largest human migration in history, leading to a rise in urban population from 191 million in 1980 to over 650 million in 2010—an increase driven largely by rural-to-urban migration (NBSC, 2011). However, China’s economic growth

The argument that politics, or democracy more specifically, has been bolstered by the rise of environmental concerns from the 1960s onwards, is not novel herein. Although most commentators place the rise of environmentalism as a political concern starting in 1962 with Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, the heritage of environmental activism across numerous histories significantly predates

There is a strong sense of déjà vu in the late Northern summer of 2012. The worst droughts in living memory have devastated corn and soybean crops in the United States and Canada; and extreme heat is damaging wheat yields in the breadbaskets of Russia and Ukraine. With increasing volumes of grain diverted to meet

Freedom to choose is the basis for current democratic systems and here exists two uncertainties: 1) whose freedom? And 2) whose choice? If it were my freedom and my choice, I would return the current capitalist, democratic society into a state of anarchy, in the true definition of the ideal. Anarchy was hijacked by democracy